Wonder Years
by Bliss Jones
Summary: Vintage Donna. A look back at Donna's relationship with Dr. Freeride from the person who most wants her to break up with him.


Disclaimers: Last time I checked I wasn't Aaron Sorkin. If I was, Josh and Donna would have at least kissed by now. And Amy…don't get me started. Aaron owns all, along with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. New characters are mine.  
  
Spoilers: ITSOTG, sorta  
  
Author's Note: This is a different sort of fic. First of all, it takes place almost nine years before the show even started. And Donna's not in it much until the end. I've just always wanted to reconcile Donna's reasons for being with Dr. Freeride in the first place and why she eventually left him. Apologies to using the name the amazing Dee gave for the jerk. I couldn't resist my nicknames I had already made up for him.  
  
Dedication: To anyone who's ever had a roommate she didn't understand…  
  
  
  
WONDER YEARS  
  
***  
  
My roommate is insane.  
  
Clearly, she has to be. I mean, why else would she throw away whatever potential she has, risk her college education, disregard the wishes of her family and all her friends, and ruin her life by going out with the biggest bastard on the face of the earth?  
  
I do not understand Donna.  
  
She's not even twenty years old, and she is literally climbing in bed with the devil. How can she do this to herself? How can she do this to me?  
  
I'm so mad I could spit.  
  
***  
  
"You're still here?" I asked, coming into our room, surprised to find Donna at her desk. I dropped a pile of library books on my unmade bed and turned to face her.  
  
"What?" Donna answered, absentmindedly.  
  
"I said, 'you're still here.' I thought you'd be at the rally by now."  
  
"Oh, um, I'm not going," she replied, curling her legs up beneath herself.  
  
"Not going? Are you kidding me? You practically organized the thing."  
  
"Tom's taking me out tonight. It's our four month anniversary," she said with a half smile.  
  
"Donna," I began, moaning slightly, "*when* are you going to break up with the bastard? You keep putting it off."  
  
"I know, I know. But he called this morning and…he was so sweet and I didn't even think he had remembered it was our anniversary. I can't break up with him today."  
  
"Yes, you can. Very easily actually."  
  
"It's not that simple," Donna said as she got up and leafed through her side of the closet. "Do you still have my blue sweater?"  
  
"No, I never had it. Stephanie borrowed it I think," I said, wanting to get Donna to focus.  
  
"I wanted to wear it tonight. Tom loves me in blue," Donna answered, rummaging through her dresser drawers.  
  
"Do you even like the color blue?"  
  
"Maybe I can wear that turtleneck," she responded, not hearing me. Donna had a way of selectively hearing me when it came to anything involving Tom the Bastard, as I liked to call him. Or Tommy which he hated. Or the pinball wizard which nobody but the drama majors understood. I only called him that last one when he wasn't around.  
  
"Donna?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, finally looking at me.  
  
"Are you sure you're not going to go to the thing? You really should be there."  
  
"I have to get ready," Donna replied slowly.  
  
I picked up my keys and headed toward the door. I looked back at Donna. She sighed.  
  
"I'm really sorry." And I knew she was.  
  
***  
  
"I'm telling you, Stace, Donna *needs* to break up with this jerk. It can't be healthy." I was trying my damnedest to get as many converts as I could to the We Hate Thomas Cain club, of which I was the founding member. Stacey had known Donna the longest of any of her friends at college. They both played the flute in high school together.  
  
"We can't just tell her to break up with her boyfriend," Stacey whispered back to me as I pretended to read over my notes in the library.  
  
"Why not?" I asked incredulously.  
  
"Because it's overstepping a lot of bounds as her friend, Audrey. Plus you're her roommate."  
  
"I don't like Tommy," I said giving in for the moment.  
  
"Gosh, you've hidden that feeling pretty well," Stacy smirked. "I don't know. Hopefully, she'll outgrow the guy. Maybe it's just a phase."  
  
"A phase? You've been saying that since the fall semester. Her grandfather died almost eight months ago. I'm not saying I want happy, go-lucky Donna back - she has to grieve - but this thing with Tom…it's keeping the Donna we know and love suppressed or repressed or whatever psycho-babble term applies to what she's doing, "I blurted out louder than I should, warranting some stares and shhs from my fellow studiers.  
  
"Leave the analyzing to the experts please," Stacy replied, gesturing to herself.  
  
"Hey, two psychology courses don't exactly make you an expert. You're a sophomore like me," I said.  
  
"Ah, yes, but I am wise beyond my years."  
  
"Does this mean you're not going to be a part of Donna's intervention?"  
  
"I think an intervention is a bit extreme," Stacy retorted. "You don't know Donna the way I do. She tends to need someone in her life to support and protect her. You know how close she is to her dad. She took her grandfather's death really hard. At this point in her life, she needs a guy."  
  
"No one *needs* a guy, least of all Donna," I groaned.  
  
"Not everyone is like you, hon. But don't worry about Donna, okay? She'll come around one of these days on her own."  
  
"I just hope she doesn't end up wasting years on the bastard."  
  
"Doubtful."  
  
"Yeah, doubtful," I repeated slowly.  
  
***  
  
"Tell me again why we're doing this," Danielle asked amidst a fit of giggles.  
  
"Because finals are in less than a week and I swear to God, I need to have some fun before I chain myself to my desk with a textbook six inches thick," I answered, speaking for the rest.  
  
"Okay, yeah, but why a late-night marathon of old movies?" Danielle asked again.  
  
"Because we're all poor college students and none of us have any money to actually go out," I replied.  
  
"Fair point." The others chimed in to my logical reasoning. Some floormates and I were gathered in the dorm's TV lounge, dressed in our PJs and surrounded by every form of junk food imaginable.  
  
"What are we watching by the way?" Katie wondered as she threw a kernel of popcorn at her nearest neighbor.  
  
"Not 'Grease'!" Alex shouted abruptly. "There's only so much Sandy Dee a girl can take."  
  
"No, it's not 'Grease' or even 'Gremlins'," I said. "They're showing back- to-back Carey Grant features. 'His Girl Friday' and 'Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.' Comic gems."  
  
"We really must be poor," Jen declared.  
  
"Hey, is Donna coming?"  
  
"Uh, I don't think so. She's out with the pinball wizard. Again," I said through my teeth.  
  
"Really?" Alex sighed. "Even after the thing with the..."  
  
"Yeah, he explained himself on that one like a pro."  
  
"You two having problems?" Katie said as she joined me on the couch.  
  
"See, in order to have problems we'd have to be speaking to each. She's at Tom's almost every night lately. I never see her, and when I do, she barely says anything. It's not even like she's giving me the silent treatment. It's like she doesn't have anything she wants to tell me. I don't know. It's...it's not what I thought living with Donna would be like."  
  
"Well, she wouldn't be like this if Tom wasn't in the picture." Good ol' Jen. She was the vice-president of the We Hate Thomas Cain club and I loved her for it.  
  
"I love this part," Alex interrupted, mesmerized by the image of Carey Grant in a suit, as if he ever wore anything else.  
  
"Hmm," Danielle said, turning her attention away from the screen. "Are you going to try and talk to her about this?"  
  
"If I thought it would do any good, yeah. I mean, there's only so far I can go before I risk losing her as a friend. It's not like she's a little kid. I can't tell her who she can and cannot go out with. Then she'd really never speak to me again. On purpose," I exhaled.  
  
"Speak of the devil's girlfriend," Jen nodded toward the hall as the figure of Donna dashed by on her way to the stairs.  
  
"That's harsh," Katie said in turn, but her voice faded as I ran up two flights to catch Donna.  
  
"Hey!" I shouted as I reached our door.  
  
"Hi," she swallowed as she turned the knob. "Where'd you come from?"  
  
"Lounge. We're watching Carey Grant movies. Change and come down."  
  
"I don't think so," Donna said with that sad half smile again.  
  
"C'mon. We have popcorn. And KitKats. I've never known you to pass up on a KitKat."  
  
"Raincheck?"  
  
Trying to remember it was quiet hours in the dorm, I followed Donna inside and plopped on my bed. "No rainchecks, Donna. You haven't hung out with us in ages. If I have to kidnap you myself you are coming downstairs and watching-"  
  
"I'm moving in with Tom."  
  
I just stared at her.  
  
"After the semester's over. He's getting a bigger place. It's really nice. Walk-in closet, balcony. And we might get a puppy." She spoke simply and without ceremony. She sounded...relieved and yet restrained.  
  
I still stared at her.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to say anything? Audrey?" She laughed uncomfortably. "You have to say something."  
  
A breath escaped from my lips finally allowing me to speak. I decided to be selfish first. "Wh-What about the plans we made back in January? You can only get into the upperclassmen suites if you have a roommate. You're ditching me for that bastard?"  
  
"Stop calling him that!" Donna shouted with more fire than I'd seen in her in months. "Just stop it!"  
  
"Donna, the guy is no good for you. I can see it. All your friends can see it. Hell, I've had conversations with your mom about Tom and she can't stand the guy!"  
  
"You've talked to my *mother* about Tom? How dare you!" Well, at least she was speaking to me.  
  
"It came up. She asked. I'm not about to lie for you. I thought if anyone she would be the one to convince you to break-"  
  
"Everyone wants me to break up with Tom," she cried. "The one part in my life that isn't complicated. The one thing that makes sense. There are no guessing games involved with him." She collapsed on her bed, beginning to sob quietly, and I figured it was time for me to be the supportive roommate type instead of the combative roommate. I sat next to her and put my arm on her shoulder.  
  
"Donna, just listen for one second," I said softly. "You are an incredible person. You have so much to give and so much love in you, but there are people out there who will take advantage of that and keep the real Donna from shining though. You and I are different. We see life differently, and we do things differently. There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting someone in your life, someone who will love and respect you. But if you have to be with someone, there are better someones to be with." I paused. "Now, before I turn into a Hallmark card, would you like a tissue?"  
  
Donna laughed. Through the tears and reddened eyes, I saw the first real smile from her. I saw hope.  
  
"Thanks," she said, pulling too many tissues out at once from the box.  
  
Donna had the familiar I-kinda-need-to-be-alone look on her face, so I left the tissue box next to her. I pulled out a KitKat from my drawer and threw it in her direction.  
  
"Heads up."  
  
Catching it, she said, "Thanks...again." The looking down, she whispered, "For everything."  
  
"No problem. It's part of my job description," I replied, hoping to get another laugh.  
  
When I reached the door, I had to turn around. I studied the young woman alone on her bed. I examined her long, blonde hair and her graceful air and her beautiful soul.  
  
"Donna?"  
  
"Yeah." She lifted her head.  
  
"Promise me...promise me you'll remember who you are," I said, not fully understanding what I meant.  
  
Donna smiled. "I'm Donna Moss."  
  
"Okay. I'm gonna go back down. We're there if you want to, you know."  
  
"I know."  
  
***  
  
And that was it. She moved in with Tom. It wasn't until the following September when I got to the History of Revolutions class Donna and I had signed up for together back in the spring when I realized she was gone for good. I saw her every few months or so after that. I heard through her friend Stephanie that she was working as a receptionist in a law office and spent her weekends filing for a doctor friend of Tom's. Around the holidays she'd waitress tables.  
  
It hurt when I would hear reports of her through the grapevine. Her mom still sends me a Christmas card every year. It's horrible to say, but I'm almost glad Donna and I drifted apart after she moved out. I don't think I could have handled watching her life become what it did.  
  
But if Donna does remember who she is, then, I don't know, I think she'll be okay. I know that some amazing destiny is out there waiting for her. She just needs to dump the bastard first to find it. And when that happens, she better call me. 


End file.
